


First Impressions

by Wildspringflower06



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Trigger warning for abusive asshole fathers, and Dad!Bobby is a bamf!!, but fire fam to the rescue!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-07
Updated: 2019-11-07
Packaged: 2021-01-24 14:50:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21340024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wildspringflower06/pseuds/Wildspringflower06
Summary: “You’ve been ignoring me for nearly a decade Evan you’ll have to grow up eventually.”“I’m not-” Buck started, but quickly lowered his voice, “I’m not ignoring you. I just don’t have time right now, I have to work.”Eddie stood from the couch and started slowly walking towards the stairs, he didn’t like the way his friend was acting, and the older man was setting off all sorts of alarm bells in the back of his mind.“Oh you have to work do you? Big important firefighter that you are.” The man jeered, clearly amused.
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz
Comments: 38
Kudos: 692





	First Impressions

**Author's Note:**

> So I am so on board for the theory that Buck's dad is an abusive asshole. The team obviously doesn't react well to that. I should probably be working on the stuff I've already started that, ya know, has chapters to update. But this was already mostly done and I am so freaking swamped and stressed right now it's ridiculous. Segue: reviews make me smile and lower my blood pressure!! XD  
Anywho, here ya go, hope y'all enjoy!!!

It’s a perfectly normal morning for the 118, nothing has gone catastrophically wrong yet and they are riding that shred of hope all the way through what is promising to be a good breakfast, if the smells wafting from the small kitchen area are anything to go by.

It had been a while since they’d gotten a chance to actually sit down and enjoy their meal, as they were being sent out on one call or another. Not that any of them would complain about their jobs, it just would be nice to enjoy non-microwaved food every once in a while.

Chim is in the middle of telling a story from his last call that both Eddie and Hen had missed, involving a guy who had dabbled, perhaps a little too much, in a less than legal substance, and had subsequently gotten his hand stuck in a toaster.

“So, we just walked onto the scene, and he starts screaming down at us to ‘hurry up!’ I mean, I thought he was dying based on how hysterical he was. And we get up there to find the guy had accidentally switched the toaster on while trying to get his hand out of it!”

Hen doubled over, not caring about laughing at some poor idiot who she knew was okay, because if he wasn’t Chim wouldn’t be telling the story. “Oh my god, no.”

Eddie shook his head, smiling and laughing as well, even Bobby gave a chuckle from his place in front of the stove. It had been a while since they’d all been like that, just siting and having a good time with one another. Except they were down one number.

Eddie’s thoughts had barely drifted to Buck when his phone buzzed, “Speak of the devil.” He said to himself, voice unheard over the uproar of laughter when Chim informed everyone that this moron forgot how toasters worked and didn’t know he could just unplug it to make it turn off.

Buck’s message was short, and to the point: _Running late_

Something about it didn’t sit quite right with Eddie, Buck was one for embellishing his texts with dorky emojis, or at least several punctuation marks too many.

“Well I guess it wasn’t that funny.” Chim commented, waving his hands in Eddie’s direction, “Yo, earth to Eddie.”

“He just got a text from his boyfriend, he’s a little preoccupied.” Hen heckled him.

“Buck’s not my boyfriend.” Eddie shot back immediately.

A devious smirk captured Hen’s lips, “Did I mention Buck? Chim I don’t remember saying Buck.”

“You most certainly did not say Buck.” Chim played along easily, smiling broadly at the expense of his teammate.

Eddie’s ears burned and he ducked his head in embarrassment but was thankfully saved by Bobby interjecting into the conversation before it could devolve any further.

“Where is Buck anyway?”

“Yeah, Buckaroo’s normally one of the first here.” Chim stated, looking around almost as if they had somehow just missed an entire member of their team.

Eddie shook his head, still looking at his phone, “He said he’s running late.”

Hen seemed to pick up on his unease because not a second later she was leaning towards him, all traces of her earlier jokes disappeared from her tone. “Is something wrong?”

“I don’t know, I’ve just got a weird feeling. I suppose we just wait and see when he shows up? We can always ask him if something’s going on.”

The others nodded, and as it turned out, they were not kept waiting long, as not ten minutes later a very tense looking Buck strode through the wide garage doors. He wasn’t alone however, a taller and older looking gentleman was following close behind, clearly agitated about something.

“You’ve been ignoring me for nearly a decade Evan you’ll have to grow up eventually.”

“I’m not-” Buck started, but quickly lowered his voice, “I’m not ignoring you. I just don’t have time right now; I have to work.”

Eddie stood from the couch and started slowly walking towards the stairs, he didn’t like the way his friend was acting, and the older man was setting off all sorts of alarm bells in the back of his mind.

“Oh, you have to work, do you? Big important firefighter that you are.” The man jeered, clearly amused.

The loud voice drew the rest of the team’s attention, and they all were glancing warily between each other and the scene unfolding before them.

Buck’s shoulders sagged, and he looked so exhausted it almost hurt. “Please, can we just not do this here?”

“Okay, then when Evan? When are you going to grow a pair and actually talk to me, because I’ve had enough of your constant excuses. So, when are we going to _do this_.” He shot Buck’s own words back at him like some sort of insult.

Eddie saw the annoyance turn to rage and a second later Buck was whirling to face the man, who Eddie had a sneaking suspicion was his father, the thought leaving a pit in his stomach.

Buck’s duffle fell from his shoulder and hit the ground with a dull thud, his arms spread wide, “I don’t know. Eventually! Okay? Just not right now! Sorry if the fact that I have a life is inconvenient to you!”

The man’s glare darkened, and the energy in the room turned almost electric. Then before anyone could really react, he had extended his arm in a devastating backhand that connected with a strong_ slap_ against Buck’s right cheek.

Buck seemed to just freeze, gasping slightly, watering eyes steadfastly refusing to move from the ground.

“Hey!” Eddie shouted, and not a moment later he was bounding down the steps, three more pairs of boots echoing behind him.

They weren’t there fast enough however, because by the time they got near their friend the older man already had the cuff of his shirt bunched up in a fist and was pulling Buck closer.

Buck’s breaths were coming in stuttering gasps, whole body shaking as he leaned as far away from the man as possible.

“You know better than to raise your voice at me.” He growled, voice low and threatening.

“Yes sir.” Buck whispered, the words seeming to fall off his tongue in a habitual monotone.

“Now what do you say?”

Buck swallowed thickly, still refusing to make eye contact, but when he didn’t respond immediately the man shook him by the collar and raised his hand again in a threatening gesture.

Eddie didn’t think it was physically possible for Buck to get any smaller, his voice a hoarse whisper, “Sorry sir.”

Eddie was on them a moment later, rage boiling in his stomach at the sight. No one, especially a father, had a right to make someone feel that way. “Let go.” He practically snarled.

“This is a discussion between myself and my insolent son. It doesn’t concern you.”

Eddie had opened his mouth to spit back fire at the man, but Bobby’s calming voice interrupted him first, “Actually it does. It concerned me the minute you stepped into my firehouse and physically abused one of _my _employees.” The way he said “my” sounded almost possessive, and Eddie was sure that wasn’t an accident.

“Now, let go of him before I have to get the police involved.”

Bless Bobby and his ever-present level head, if it had been up to Eddie alone, he would have socked the guy square in the jaw. He still wasn’t entirely sure that ship had sailed however, as the man had yet to release Buck and leave the station.

Several pairs of hands dove together with wonderful efficiency, Chim working to release the man’s grasp from Buck’s shirt as Hen tugged the shirt away and Bobby placed a warning grip on the man’s wrist.

They’d gotten Buck out of the man’s hold, but their friend seemed glued to the spot, vibrating terribly and blinking back tears.

Hen gripped his shoulders in her arms, gentle and reassuring, while Chim was rubbing his arm softly.

“You’re pathetic, you can’t even fight your battles on your own can you.” The man sneered, taking a threatening step forward and raising his fist.

Several things happened all at once. The moment Buck’s father moved Buck viscerally flinched, eyes squeezing shut in preparation of some sort of retribution. Chim’s grip on his arm tightened, and he was entirely ready to physically pull Buck out of there should the need arise. Hen stepped in front of him with a death glare, fully prepared to take a punch for her friend. But before she was in any danger of the fist connecting Eddie had intercepted the man’s arm and shoved it out of the way.

Bobby grabbed his phone from his pocket, Athena’s speed dial all queued up. “Chim, Hen, take Buck upstairs.” He commanded; voice strong but soft.

Buck’s feet shuffled with a gentle tug from his friends but one shout from his father had him clamming up again. “Evan Xavier Buckley, I did not give you permission to leave.”

“He’s not in your house, he’s in mine. And I give the orders around here.” Bobby said, “Chim, Hen, get Buck upstairs.”

“Come on buddy.” Chim whispered at the same time Hen softly cooed, “We’ve got you Buckaroo.” Their strong arms wrapped around his trembling form the entire way.

Eddie still stood, hands clenched in fists by his sides, and glaring icy daggers at the man. If looks could kill, he would have dropped dead ages ago.

“How dare you.” He hissed, rage turning to Bobby.

“How dare him?” Eddie scoffed, “How dare you!”

“Listen you petulant child, I don’t have the time or the patience for you.”

“So, what are you gonna do? Gonna hit me too?” Eddie mocked, stepping further into the man’s personal space. “Go ahead. Hit me, I dare you. Give me a good old smack, see what happens.”

A strong hand gripping his shoulder pulled his attention away and Bobby gave him a warning look, “Eddie, that’s enough. You head upstairs as well; I’ll join you all shortly.”

Eddie stood for a moment longer and just seethed, before he scoffed in disgust and turned his back on Buck’s horrible excuse for a father.

He heard Bobby, somehow still amazingly calm and collected, telling the man that he could either leave willingly or be escorted out, handcuffs notwithstanding.

Eddie stormed the stairs two at a time and started pacing angrily in front of the couch Hen and Chim had sat Buck down on. He looked completely shut down, eyes still staring almost vacantly at the ground as his body shook.

“God, who the hell does he think he is?” Eddie practically growled, “To think he can just come in here and get away with that?”

“Eddie,” Hen called, stern but quiet, “Knock it off.” And she gestured to where Buck was sitting, shaking somehow intensified.

With a pang of guilt, Eddie realized he had unintentionally scared his best friend even more. “Buck, hey I am so sorry.” His tone immediately shifted, and he knelt down in the least threatening way possible. “I’m not mad at you, I promise. Can I sit by you?” He was treating Buck much the same way he would treat Christopher when he was younger and still blaming himself for simple accidents.

It took a moment, but eventually Buck gave a halting nod of his head and Eddie was up and by his side in seconds, swapping out places with Chimney who went to retrieve the med kit; the broken skin directly on Buck’s cheekbone almost sent Eddie over the edge again.

“Is it alright if I put my arm around you?” He knew Hen was already all over the physical support area, but he felt the need to act, at least do a little something.

Buck’s nod yes was quicker that time and it made Eddie’s heart lift, if only slightly.

“Okay Buckaroo,” Chim called, announcing his presence long before he came into peripheral view. “I just need to clean that cut up a little bit, alright?”

“Um,” Buck’s voice wavered, his eyes scrunched tight, “Can you-just um, I need a minute okay?”

Chim’s voice was gentle with understanding, “Of course, you just tell me whenever you’re ready.”

“Yeah and we’re right here for you.” Hen’s words were accompanied with a gentle squeeze of his shoulder. She met Eddie’s eyes over Buck’s ducked head, seeing the sadness she was feeling reflected right back at her.

Buck tried taking several deep breaths to try and calm himself, they were all halting and uneven, but his shaking quelled a little, which was better than nothing. Finally, he opened his eyes again, but his gaze remained trained on the ground by his feet. “Um, Eddie? Can I-” He trailed off, but his fingers extended to where Eddie’s hand was gripping his thigh, just above the knee, and Eddie understood immediately what he wanted.

He didn’t hesitate for a moment, gripping Buck’s hand within his own, “Of course.”

Buck’s grasp was tight, and his hands were definitely still shaking, but the support seemed to give him the confidence he needed. He still didn’t look up, but he nodded, “Okay,” He gave Chimney the go ahead.

Chim crouched down slowly, trying to make sure Buck could see him, the last thing Chim wanted was to startle his friend with any sudden movements. “Alright, so I just have to clean it and then put a little butterfly strip on, sound good?”

“Let’s do it.”

Eddie felt Buck’s fingers curl tighter around his palm, and by the look Chim sent Hen, they hadn’t missed the change either.

“Okay Buckaroo, I’m gonna be coming in, just my hands with some antiseptic.”

Eddie took it as a good sign that Buck didn’t flinch as soon as Chim’s hands got near his face, he did hiss and pull back slightly though when the antiseptic wipe was applied.

“I know.” Hen hummed in sympathy.

Chim winced, the last thing he wanted was to cause Buck further pain, “Sorry bud. Almost done.” A second later he was gently pressing two ends of a small butterfly bandage over the broken skin. He rubbed his thumb across his lower cheek, and Buck smiled up at him ever so slightly. Chim smiled back encouragingly, “All done. I think someone deserves a sucker.”

“You have one?” Buck joked, although he sounded slightly hopeful.

Their conversation was interrupted as Bobby came trudging up the stairs, and any progress they seemed to have made disappeared as Buck reverted back into himself. He quickly pulled his hand from Eddie’s and ducked his head down, refusing to make eye contact.

Eddie stifled a disappointed sigh and moved his hand back to Buck’s knee, giving it a gentle squeeze to show his friend he was still there offering support.

Bobby saw Buck shrink from him and tried not to take it personally, he was the big authority figure of the station, he posed the most potential for threat no matter how small it was. The reaction still made his heart ache.

Bobby sat with a heavy sigh on the ground directly in front of the couch, eyes sad. He wanted to show Buck he was not a threat and getting below him in the least scary position possible seemed like a good place to start. His voice was gentle when he spoke, “Hey kiddo, I didn’t call Athena, but I can. She can help you press charges if you want, we won’t have any problem proving aggravated assault.”

Buck shook his head quickly, “No, no that would just-just make things worse. It’s fine, he’ll leave soon enough. I shouldn’t have yelled like that anyway.”

“Hey,” Bobby was quick to shut down that line of thinking. “First of all, this was in no way your fault. And no matter what you did, it did not warrant his reaction. You understand? You didn’t deserve that, and it’s not your fault that it happened.”

Buck bit his bottom lip, trying to quell the waves of tears pooling in his eyes once again. “God, I thought I was past that, past _him_. It’s been like seven years.”

Hen’s face crinkled in confusion, “Didn’t your dad say he hadn’t seen you in like, almost ten years.”

Buck just shrugged, as if to say, “that’s one way to deal with it”.

Eddie’s grip just tightened further around his shoulder, subconsciously pulling Buck as close to his body as possible. “Do you want us to call anyone? Maddie?”

At the mention of his sister’s name, Buck’s wide eyes shot up and zeroed in on where Chim was busying himself putting the antiseptic wipes away. “No! You can’t mention this to her!”

Chim blinked, before realization dawned, and a sad sigh rushed past his lips. “She doesn’t know.”

Buck shook his head as more tears followed the pre-paved trails down his cheeks, “You can’t tell her. Please Chim, she’ll only feel guilty and try to take the blame.”

“Seems to run in the family.” Hen gave Buck’s shoulder a gentle nudge.

He cracked a pitiful smile at that, and opened his mouth but Hen cut him off with a hand pressed against his lips.

“I swear to god if the next words about to come out of your mouth are “I’m sorry”, I’m-well I’m gonna hug you first but then I’m gonna be hella pissed.”

She pulled her hand away, and Buck almost cringed, not really sure what else to say other than, “Sorry?”

“Oh my-what did I just say!” Hen cried, all smiles, and pulled Buck into a tight embrace.

And if it lasted a little long or was a little tighter than was per usual, well no one was going to call them out.

When Buck pulled back his lips twitched slightly, eyes radiating silent gratitude. He sniffed and cleared his throat, “Well, Mr. Daniel Buckley ladies and gentlemen.”

Eddie gave an unimpressed shrug, “Ya know, as far as first impressions go, he left much to be desired.”

Buck barked out a wet laugh, the comment taking him by surprise. “You don’t say.”

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, wasn't entirely sure how to end it, but whateves. They cute and they're all one big happy family!!! Yay!!! ^_^


End file.
